


Even if I Look like an Idiot

by i-wanna-be-your-last (hmweasley)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Domestic, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 19:09:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmweasley/pseuds/i-wanna-be-your-last
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis never understood the appeal of shipping. Sure, he and Harry had a pretty great relationship, and he was flattered that so many others seemed to think so too. Still, why get so emotionally invested in someone else's relationship? Then, years later, he finally gets it. Is it a bad thing that it's because of his own daughter?</p><p>(i.e. Louis decides that his and Harry's daughter and Liam and Zayn's son are soulmates.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even if I Look like an Idiot

**Author's Note:**

> [Russian translation.](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4495807)
> 
> This entire story came out of a funny thought that I had that made me want to write something short and amusing. However, as I was writing, it went a bit differently than I had planned. It's still what I expected it to be for the most part, but as I was writing, I realized something.
> 
> The Louis that I wrote in this story really reminds me of Larry shippers, while the other boys started to remind me a bit of the rest of the One Direction fandom. Now, I in no way wrote this to be an allegory, but over time it did become a "love letter" of sorts to Larry shippers. Because Larry shippers are pretty awesome people as a whole and though there are quite a few who tend to go overboard at times, as Louis does in this story, we are in no way the horrible evil villains we are sometimes made out to be by others. (Not that the boys make Louis out to be a villain but they do tease him and refuse to take him seriously, which I also believe happens far too often with Larry shippers in this fandom.)
> 
> So, I guess what I'm saying is that this story kind of inadvertently became an allegory for the fandom, but it's still the light-hearted cute story that I wanted it to be. I don't want the term "allegory" scaring anyone off, and I certainly don't want people to read it and search for symbolism or other English class type stuff. I just wanted to acknowledge that the sentiment is there. So, I want to dedicate this story to Larry shippers, who as a whole are a pretty decent group of people that don't deserve the large majority of the stuff that they are forced to put up with on a regular basis.

"And please make sure that he's dressed and presentable on time," Liam urged Louis as he set his two-year-old son onto the floor of the hotel room. The toddler immediately ran for Donna and the various toys she had scattered around her.

"Liam," Louis responded with a roll of his eyes. "Of course he will be. You have to have more faith in me than that."

"I do, I do. It's just that this wedding has me stressed out. How did you get to be the lucky one who watches the kids while the rest of us are bossed around by the wedding planner?"

Louis smirked. "I'm just a natural kid person, Liam. Besides, two of these are mine, and you only have claim to one. It's only fair that I'd be chosen over you."

Liam shrugged, "Whatever. Just make sure Steven doesn't mess up his tie once you put it on him. He doesn't like them. And Niall still has the rings for him to carry, so make sure he gets those before you hand him off to the girls at the church."

"Got it," Louis confirmed as he began ushering his friend towards the door. "Now go on. The yelling will only be worse if you're late, and you need to be there to keep Niall from wetting his tux. I'll see you in a few hours at the church."

With Liam gone, Louis turned towards the two toddlers and one infant that he now had to occupy for the next two and a half hours. Donna and Steven were engrossed with the toys that Louis and Harry had thought to pack for Donna, so Louis turned instead toward Kat who was babbling to herself in her bassinet.

"Hey, cutie," Louis greeted her as he pulled her up into his arms. Her babbling grew excited as she saw her father and realized that his attention was on her. Louis grabbed one of her flailing arms to keep it from hitting him in the face.

"Are you excited for Uncle Niall's wedding today?" he asked her in his best baby voice. She squealed excitedly. "Yeah, you're going to get a new aunt today, not that you need yet another one."

He continued to bounce her up and down in his arms as he turned his attention to the two toddlers.

"Steven, you can't do that!" Donna protested angrily as Steven attempted to make two of her dolls hold hands. "They're just friends! These two are married."

She threw the other "married" doll at Steven and took the currently single one from his hands. Steven took the newly offered doll with no complaint. Louis noted with slight amusement that the two married dolls just happened to be plastic representations of Donna's fathers, not that she realized it. (She'd found them in a box a year ago, and Harry had given them to her despite Louis' protests.)

"What about that one?" Steven asked with a point towards the "unmarried" doll that Donna was now fussing over.

"He has a crush on someone, but they don't know about it."

"That's sad," Steven frowned.

Donna's eyebrows raised. "Why's that?"

"Because if they like each other they should be together. They're not. That's sad."

Donna shook her head frantically. "It's not. They'll be together. Then they'll get married."

This seemed to pacify Steven, and he no longer questioned the doll's unhappiness.

"It's this one," Donna finally declared as she pulled the only other doll that they'd brought out of her bag. "They're soulmates."

"Then why aren't they together yet?" Steven asked.

Donna gave him a patronizing look. "You don't just marry your soulmate. It takes time."

Steven appeared confused. "It does?"

Donna sighed before turning to Louis. "Dad, can you tell Steven about soulmates?"

Louis grinned a bit. "Sure, sweetie. What do you want him to know?"

"Tell Steven how soulmates get together."

"Well," Louis sat down beside them on the floor with Kat still in his arms. "It's different for every pair of soulmates, so I can't tell you everything."

Donna frowned. "But it takes time, right?"

Louis shrugged. "Usually, I suppose, but sometimes it only takes a little bit. Other times it could take years."

Steven gasped. "Years? I hope it doesn't take years for me."

Louis chuckled and ruffled his nephew's hair. "I'm sure it won't, Steven."

Steven looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "How do you know someone's your soulmate, Uncle Louis?"

"There's no one way." Louis settled back against the bed and let Kat down onto the floor, where she began to stuff her feet into her mouth. "People are different, so soulmates are different too."

"I want mine to be a chef, so he can feed me, and I never have to cook. Like you and Daddy." Donna exclaimed brightly.

Louis tried to quell the laughter that was threatening to break free at his daughter's words. "That's a great quality to look for in a soulmate, sweetie."

"I don't care what my soulmate does," Steven informed them. "I just want her to be pretty."

Donna gasped. "That's not good, Steven! You're not supposed to care about looks."

Steven shrugged, "Well, I do."

Louis smirked at his nephew in amusement. "At least you're honest about it, Steven."

Steven smiled brightly at the comment.

The two children went back to their dolls, and Louis watched them as the time ticked down until they'd have to be getting into their formal outfits. Louis left the toddlers alone as he put his own tux on and then dressed the baby. Neither Donna nor Steven were happy to be taken from the dolls in order to put on the tux and dress that they both deemed uncomfortable, but they allowed themselves to be constrained in dress clothes when Louis reminded them how important today was for Uncle Niall. Their short period of agreement had ended, however, by the time they reached the church.

"What does me wearing tights have to do with the day being special?" Donna grumbled as she pulled at the tights now covering her legs.

Louis sighed in slight frustration. "They're a part of your outfit."

Donna groaned but didn't question it farther.

"Now," Louis reminded them. "We're going to find the men to get the rings from Uncle Niall, and I want you both to wish him luck, okay? Then, I'm going to take you to Aunt Alison, and her and the bridesmaids will stay with you until the wedding. You remember about walking down the aisle, right?"

The two toddlers nodded seriously. Their roles in the ceremony had been drilled into their heads the night before.

"Does Aunt Alison have my basket and flowers like she said she would?" Donna question.

Louis nodded. "She does."

Just then they came upon the door that Louis knew Niall and the groomsmen to be behind. He knocked twice before opening the door himself and letting the children through. Steven sprinted off toward his fathers immediately. Harry had been sitting just several feet from the door, and Donna launched herself into his arms upon seeing him.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked his daughter before placing a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"Horrible." Her nose wrinkled to emphasize her point.

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Horrible? Why's that?"

"I have to wear tights!" It was clear that Donna expected Harry to be just as horrified by this as she was, and he granted her wish.

"That is horrible," he agreed with a nod of his head. Louis hit him softly in protest.

"Don't encourage her," Louis reprimanded.

"Well," Harry told Donna. "Alison wants you in them for the ceremony, but I'm sure she won't care if you take them off for the reception. How does that sound?"

Donna sighed. "I guess that's okay."

"Good," Harry said as he set her back on her feet. "Now go see Uncle Niall before you're whisked away to the women."

Donna shrieked excitedly for her Uncle Niall as she took off across the room in a run, and Louis followed behind at a more reasonable pace so that Niall could also see Kat before she was taken by Niall's aunt that had graciously offered to watch her during the ceremony. Steven, who had apparently already talked to Niall, was now fully awed by Theo. Theo, who would be standing with the groomsmen, seemed to enjoy the attention that the younger boy was giving him. Louis made his way to them after depositing Kat in Niall's arms.

"Okay," Louis interrupted the two boys. "I think it's time to go find the women, Steven. Do you have the rings?"

Steven nodded but frowned at the older boy.

Theo smiled at him. "I'll see you at the reception," he reminded the much younger boy.

Steven smiled brightly and seemed much more willing to leave Theo's presence now that he knew he'd see him later. Louis had soon gathered the girls again, and after a quick call of goodbye to everyone in the room, the four of them were back out the door and wandering down the hall to where the women were supposed to be getting ready. Sure enough, the room was easy enough to find, and Alison welcomed the two toddlers in excitedly, even blushing as Donna complimented her on her "pretty dress." Theo's younger sister took it on her to occupy the two young children, and Louis left to go search the church for Niall's aunt. He had expected it to be a bit hard to find the woman, but she had apparently been waiting for him, and Kat was soon off of his hands. He quickly made his way back to the room with the groom and groomsmen.

"You'll never guess what Donna and Steven wanted to talk about this morning," Louis told Zayn as the two of them made sure they looked presentable in front of the mirror.

At Zayn's questioning look, Louis continued, "Soulmates. They started asking me about soulmates."

Zayn frowned. "Steven better not be getting any toddler girlfriend any time soon. I am not ready to handle that as a parent."

Louis became thoughtful for a moment as he adjusted his tie. "What if it was Donna? Steven's toddler girlfriend, I mean. What if they dated? They're together all the time as it is."

"Doesn't that mean they probably wouldn't date?" Zayn asked. "Isn't there that hormone or whatever the hell it is that prevents kids from being attracted to other kids they're around before a certain age? It's supposed to prevent incest between siblings and cousins and what not."

"But they're not siblings," Louis pointed out needlessly. "Or cousins. Not literally."

Zayn rolled his eyes, "I know that, but I don't think this hormone or whatever distinguishes very well."

"They know they're not cousins," Louis muttered.

Zayn laughed slightly, "You sound like you want them together, Louis."

Louis shrugged, "It wouldn't be so bad. There are worse people Donna could end up with."

"Louis," Zayn groaned. "Please don't do this. They're two."

"Do what?" Louis asked with mocked innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

And he scampered over to Harry before Zayn could reply.

The wedding passed as weddings typically do, with some bumps but more-or-less the perfect day that Alison and Niall hoped it would be, and soon Niall became the last member of One Direction to officially lose his bachelor status. The reception was a lively affair. Both Alison and Niall's families took great advantage of the free alcohol, and most of their non-Irish friends were greatly enjoying the lively Irish party.

Donna and Steven stayed by each other's sides for most of the reception while flittering amongst the older children. They never stayed in one place long, but the two best friends were always side-by-side. Why had Louis never realized how adorable they were together?

Kat was passed around amongst everyone at the wedding. Even strangers were enamoured with the infant that they'd probably seen pictures of at least once or twice. Louis and Harry took turns checking up on her every so often and sometimes taking her off of someone's hands. For the most part though, it was a relatively child-free night, with neither one of their kids giving them too much trouble. (Except when Donna decided to remove her tights in the middle of the dance floor, but Liam had defused that situation rather quickly.)

The next morning came, and it was time to prepare for the trip back to London. Louis thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't as hungover as he probably would have been in years past. It wasn't something he could afford with a toddler and infant around. It was enough to deal with the regular screaming they both produced, he didn't need a headache added to it.

Zayn, Liam, and Steven met them at the front of the hotel, where the car that would take them to the airport was already waiting.

Getting through airport security was a longer process now that they had three young children to look after, and that meant getting there with a lot of time to spare. Unfortunately, this also meant they usually had down time before their plane left where they had to deal with two toddlers wanting to run about the airport. Luckily, things were no longer as crazy as they had been in the past, and while they had to deal with fans coming up to say hi, there were no mobs to worry about.

After being chased about the terminal by Harry for at least a quarter of an hour, Donna and Steven had finally settled down enough to flip through an interactive children's book together on Zayn's eReader. Hopefully, this calmness would last them the entire ride home.

"You know," Louis finally spoke as he watched the two toddlers closely, "I stand by what I said the other day, Zayn. If the two of them have to date people, them dating each other wouldn't be so bad."

"Are you pairing off our two-year-olds, Lou?" Liam asked in disbelief.

"I'm just saying," Louis replied. "If they got together in the future, they'd make a pretty great couple."

"Their children would have some pretty good genes," Harry commented as he studied the miniature Louis and Zayn intently.

"No," Liam replied firmly. "If Steven wants to marry your daughter later in life, good for him, but we are not doing this. I refuse to be that parent."

Louis shrugged. "Suit yourself, mate. I'm still hoping for it."

"Louis, they're two," Zayn reminded him. "And any 'dating' that happens in the immediate future would consist of shy hand-holding and pecks on the lips that can hardly be qualified as kissing. They don't even understand what dating is."

"That doesn't mean it couldn't develop into anything more serious. They could be soulmates. Have you seen Sweet Home Alabama?"

Harry spoke up beside Louis, "They were at least eight in that flashback. Plus, there was the nasty divorce."

"Really?" Louis turned to his husband in disbelief. "Are you going to be against me too?"

Harry chuckled lightly before leaning in to peck Louis on the lips. "I'm not against you, love. I was just correcting your movie knowledge. If Donna and Steven want to date, then that's fine by me."

"Key word being 'want,'" Liam pointed out. "They're two. I refuse to believe that anyone can have any romantic feelings for anyone else until puberty at the very least. Can we please stop talking about this?"

"Fine," Louis sighed as he settled back into the uncomfortable airport chair. "But I'm not forgetting about this. Whether I look like an idiot or not, just mark my words, those two will be together."

Liam buried his face into Zayn's shoulder and groaned as his husband rubbed him reassuringly on the back.

Six years had passed and Louis had managed to not mention the idea of Donna and Steven getting together to anyone. (Well, anyone except Harry, but as long as his husband decided to remain quiet about that, it was six years as far as Louis was concerned.)

Then, the dreaded puberty hit, and Louis and Harry were dealing with a number of things that they had known were coming but still weren't entirely prepared for. Luckily, Aunt Gemma had handled bras, as neither Louis or Harry knew a thing about sizes or which type were the best for preteen girls. There were boxes of panty liners, pads, and tampons stacked in the bathroom for whenever the need for them would start to arise. (They had no idea what Donna would want to use, so they'd decided it best to have as many types of the products as the cabinet would hold.)

Most noticeable of all, however, was Donna's increasing interest in boys other than her fathers, three-year-old brother, surrogate uncles, and childhood best friend. The first such boy went by the name of Dylan, and he was as okay as boys that want to date your preteen daughter can be. The relationship wasn't even serious as far as preteen relationships go. There was a crush stage for about a month before Kat came rushing to Louis and Harry to tell them all about the secrets her older sister had shared with her. Six-year-old Kat thought it utterly scandalous that Donna had been kissed on the cheek by a boy, and Harry had to remind his husband that such kisses were usually as innocent as kisses could be in order to keep Louis from strangling the poor boy.

It wasn't but a week after the cheek kiss that Dylan was brushed aside in favor of a new mystery boy that Donna refused to talk about in the presence of her fathers. Even Kat was more hushed about this one, with giggles and head shakes all Louis could get out of her when he pressed for information. Not even Donna's best friend Steven seemed to know much about this new crush. He had seemed lost and confused when Louis questioned him relentlessly for any details on this new boy that was apparently occupying his oldest daughter's every thought.

Louis loathed to think that he'd be going through this again in just two years when Kat reached this age, and he prayed that boys going through puberty weren't this difficult from the parents' side of things. Otherwise, Louis wasn't above going to illegal measures to make sure Dominic stayed prepubescent forever.

This particular day found Donna chatting happily on the phone with her best girl friend Ashley. Louis was tempted to buy Donna her own phone, as he was a bit tired of losing his own for long periods of time, but he knew that buying your eight-year-old daughter a cellphone was a bit frowned upon. Besides, he shuttered to think of the flirting that might happen with mystery boy if she had a phone with her at all times.

Harry was fixing dinner, while Louis eavesdropped on Donna's conversation with the pretense of setting the table that he'd finished with more than five minutes ago.

"Louis."

Louis' head whipped around at the sound of Harry's voice. He sighed as he saw his husband leaning in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"You do realize that she's not going to say anything about her crush when she can see her father staring at her from the dining room, right?"

Louis spared one more glance at Donna before turning his back to her completely and moving across the room to Harry. He wrapped his arms around the taller man and buried his face in Harry's chest as Harry pulled him closer.

"I just want to know who it is," Louis groaned.

"Why?" Harry chuckled. "It's not that big of a deal. She's eight. You remember how things went with Dylan."

"But what if it's Steven?" Louis pulled away slightly to look up at Harry. "What if she's finally realized that she likes him as more than a friend?"

"Lou," Harry groaned. "She's eight. She's not looking for a soulmate, even if she thinks she is."

"You're always looking for your soulmate until you find them," Louis stated matter-of-factly.

Harry smiled down at him. "That may be, but she's got a lot of maturing to do before she enters a serious relationship."

Louis sighed and rested his forehead on Harry's shoulder. "I know that," he admitted.

"Good," Harry pulled away and turned back towards the kitchen. "Now, let's put this conversation away for a few more years. You don't want Liam and Zayn to get a whiff of it, do you?'

And put it away for a few years they did. Eight years in fact, and Louis considered it and accomplishment that Donna's lifespan had doubled since he last spoke of any of his inklings that her and Steven would be together. Sure, Harry would catch Louis watching the two preteens turned teenagers closely sometimes. Even Liam and Zayn would sometimes throw him exasperated looks when Louis seemed to be encouraging Donna and Steven to spend more time together. However, no one said anything out loud, and as Donna and Steven remained best friends, Louis' meddling really wasn't all that noticeable.

It wasn't until Donna and Steven both got their first serious relationships that Louis could no longer remain quiet. Within two weeks of each other, Donna and Steven were both dating people, and Louis refused to see that as a coincidence. Evelyn had asked Steven out, and according to Zayn, Steven had been shocked but pleased. Louis figured the boy had decided that he'd waited too long for Donna and that he might as well date the girl who showed interest.

When Donna began talking about Lane (What kind of a name is that anyway?) a week later, Louis knew she must be feeling jealous. Louis hadn't gotten to meet Evelyn yet, as unofficial uncles aren't people you go out of your way to introduce girlfriends to, but he had met Lane during the mandatory "hurt my daughter and we hurt you" talk that he and Harry had given him before the couple's first date. He was okay. Louis couldn't find any major flaws at least. He had to admit that his daughter had good taste. Still, he wasn't Steven, and Louis knew without a shadow of a doubt that Lane wasn't who Donna was supposed to spend her forever with.

Harry reminded Louis frequently that Donna was sixteen and didn't necessarily need forever yet. Louis reminded Harry that Harry had been sixteen when they met, which only led to Harry turning all philosophical and reminding Louis that "every relationship is different." Louis didn't care. His daughter needed to dump the dead end.

"I'm not saying we ruin their relationships," Louis said. He was currently sitting in Niall and Alison's living room with Harry at his side. They were having one of their typical "adult nights" while Donna and Steven babysat the younger children at Louis and Harry's house.

"All I'm saying, is that once they inevitably break up with Lane and Evelyn, we make sure they go on a date."

"Louis," Liam spoke with a roll of his eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?" Louis questioned. "It's just a date. What could go wrong?"

Niall sat up suddenly as if just hit with a realization. "Do you know who you sound like?" he questioned.

Louis looked at him in confusion. "No. Who?"

"Our fans," Niall spoke matter-of-factly. "You're shipping Donna and Steven like they used to ship us. And I'm not talking about the sane ones. You're losing your mind a little over it, mate."

"I am not," Louis responded indignantly. "Is it so wrong that I want my daughter to end up with the right person?"

"Except you're deciding that right person for her," Zayn stated. "I think even you agree that Donna is smart enough to chose on her own."

"Of course she is, but that doesn't mean we can't help."

"We don't need to help, Louis," Harry finally spoke. He covered one of Louis's hands with his own and squeezed it gently. "The entire point of soulmates is that they always find each other. If Donna and Steven are soulmates, they can figure it out on their own. We don't need to meddle."

Louis dropped his head onto Harry's shoulder. "I guess you're right."

"Just be patient, love," Harry reassured him as he dropped a kiss to Louis's temple. "It'll happen in time."

"Patience has never been a virtue that I possessed," Louis muttered.

Harry chuckled lightly. "I know, love."

So Louis let it go. He really did. Not once did he meddle in Donna's love life. He let her relationship with Lane run its course, and he only celebrated a bit when he learned of the break up. Louis comforted her when she felt bad dumping the boy, and he said nothing when she moved on to obsess over a new teen actor who had just gotten his first major role in a blockbuster film. He even pulled some strings to allow Donna to meet said actor, but he would admit that he was relieved when nothing came of that encounter.

It took five years before Donna and Steven got their shit together and did what Louis always knew they would. For all of his anticipation, Louis was shocked when Donna came home from university to inform her parents that she had been secretly dating Steven for the past two months. Harry had looked at Louis with a smirk that Louis instantly wanted to kiss off his face in excitement. When Harry had pulled him close several minutes later and whispered, "I told you they'd figure it out on their own," Louis wasn't ashamed to admit that slight pettiness had led to him digging an elbow into Harry's stomach.

Louis thought he hid his joy at the news well. Donna, for her part, seemed oblivious to how happy her new relationship made Louis. She didn't even bat an eyelid when Louis hugged Steven a bit tighter than normal the next time he saw him (although Steven had given him a bit of a weird look afterwards).

It was as if things were finally how they should be, and Louis's outlook was brightened. Sure, he might be a bit more invested in his daughter's relationship than absolutely necessary, but parents were supposed to want what was best for their children, right? He wasn't interfering, and wasn't that what the boys had scolded him for before?

Three more years passed, and Louis continued to be just as thrilled about Donna and Steven's relationship as before. If there were tears in his eyes after they announced their engagement, then Louis wasn't afraid to admit it. By this time, Kat too was in a serious relationship, and though Louis hadn't watched Kat and Penelope grow up together, he had high hopes that his other daughter had found her soulmate as well. It was becoming a bit too emotional for Louis to handle, and he wasn't sure how he would take it when Dominic eventually came home with his future wife.

Donna and Steven's wedding came with a rush, and Louis found himself busier than he had been since the glory days of One Direction. Louis found himself eternally grateful that Liam and Zayn were parents of the groom. If he'd been bitching this much about the wedding to strangers, then it was entirely possible that Donna's relationship with her future in-laws would have been ruined thanks to her father. As it was, the four fathers of the bride and groom managed to make it to the wedding with their marriages and friendships still intact, which was a wonder unto itself.

Donna, not being one to do anything the entirely traditional way, was dressed in a simple silver dress that was just slightly longer than fingertip length. Just seeing her in it for the first time may have made Louis break down in tears, but no one except Harry and Donna were allowed to know about that. Louis didn't think they'd be telling anyone any time soon as their own tears had rivaled Louis's.

It was a beautiful wedding, although Louis was in tears for most of it and not really able to appreciate the finer details. (He did manage to crack a smile when, before the ceremony, Niall had suddenly realized that he had no clue whether to sit on the bride's or groom's side and had threatened to sit in the aisle until Alison practically dragged him to a seat.) The reception was a big affair with Donna and Steven's entire families (who were all close to being one single family as it was) and all of their friends present.

Donna and Steven had both wanted to keep things simple, and everything had an elegant flare to it that was nice but not "in your face" expensive looking. In fact, Louis was quite proud of his daughter and new son-in-law for adamantly footing the bill themselves, even after their fathers offered multiple times to pay for the whole thing.

The newly wedded couple's first dance seemed to come quicker than Louis had expected. He was used to these things dragging on and on until the dancing started, but it seemed like only moments before Steven was pulling Donna onto the dance floor and the crowd was quieting to fawn over the happy couple.

Louis felt Harry's hand capture his own, and Louis squeezed tightly as his gaze stayed on their daughter.

"Do you remember when she decided to strip in the middle of the dance floor when Niall and Alison got married?" Harry chuckled quietly in Louis ear.

"Of course," Louis smiled as he turned slightly towards Harry while still keeping Donna and Steven in his sight. "If Liam hadn't grabbed her when he did, she would have flashed everyone there without a care in the world."

Harry left an affectionate kiss on Louis cheek before saying, "I can't believe our oldest is married now. I couldn't even picture this day then."

Louis snorted, "I could. That was the day I started picturing this day. Right down to the correct groom."

"I still hold that that was a coincidence," Harry continued a playful argument they'd been having for at least two years now. "You didn't actually know they were soulmates. It was a lucky guess considering they were together all the time."

"No," Louis shook his head. "It was father's intuition, which you should apparently pay closer attention to."

"You didn't go around professing Kat's and Dominic's soulmates."

"Okay. First of all," Louis now turned to give Harry his complete attention. "Kat and Penelope didn't even meet until they started dating. How could I declare Penelope to be Kat's soulmate before I knew her? Besides, I've said now that they're soulmates, and they're not even engaged yet. And I'm still keeping my eye out for Dominic. You can't rush these things."

"Can't rush these things," Harry repeated mockingly. "Was that what you were doing when you were begging to set Donna and Steven up on a date, letting them take their time?"

Louis smirked. "I always knew they'd realize their feelings on their own time."

He turned to watch Donna and Steven just as the song was finishing. Harry nuzzled into his neck from behind.

"I'm sure you did," Harry whispered, and Louis could feel him smirk into his neck before he placed a kiss there. "Now," Harry continued. "Who gets the first father-daughter dance?"

Louis pulled away and feigned offence. "I just told you I've been waiting for this since she was two. I'm getting my dance first."

He didn't even look back at Harry as he rushed towards Donna and took her into his arms. She giggled happily as Louis stuck his tongue out at Harry, who was laughing to himself at the edge of the dance floor.

"I love you, Dad," Donna whispered softly as she hugged him to her.

Louis smiled down at her. "I love you too, sweetie, and thanks for choosing Steven and not making me look like an idiot."


End file.
